PR Success: Learn to Win by Watching the NY Giants Lose

The text books are full of great ideas from successful organizations. The real lessons, however, are found in times of despair.

Take the NY Giants. Following a series of missteps, their season is slowly spiraling out of control. It’s easy to put on a brave face when you’re winning, but we often see an organization’s true colors when the losing starts.

While the Giant’s on-field aptitude remains in question, their communications are at a championship level. The next time your organization finds itself on a losing streak, take these cues from the Giant’s PR playbook.

Take Ownership
The only thing Americans likes less than losers are liars. Week after week the Giants step up to the media and take full responsibility for their woeful play. It might be easy for coaches and quarterbacks to pass the buck, but there were times last week when Coach Tom Coughlin seemed to be battling with Eli Manning to see who could shoulder the most blame.

Don’t Point Fingers
United we stand, divided we fall, and all that. We still remember that motto for one main reason: it’s true. Note that there is a clear distinction between honestly discussing your failures and pointing fingers. It’s perfectly fine for Manning to say a player ran the wrong route, but watch how he doesn’t harp on it, and most every interview ends with him saying he must play better.

Stick to Your Routine
A change in routine signals disorganization and panic. Many Giants players and coaches have regularly-schedule media appearances in our New York market. And they keep them, even though they know full well that they are in for a grilling. Man up and move on.

Keep in In-House
Nothing comes from losing unless you take a good hard look at why it’s happening. You can bet that behind closed doors the Giants are yelling, passing the buck and pointing fingers. Working through the issue is the only way to beat it. But they know the difference between hashing it out in private and airing it out in public.

Remember, by maintaining a solid communications plan during hard times, you are one step closer to winning. And as Vince Lombardi once said, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”